A number of pavement patching machines or vehicles for utility use in patching small pavement defects have been disclosed in the prior art. It is not believed that any such machinery has found any general popularity, in spite of the fact that such patching is a pressing and often neglected problem due to recent bad winter weather, rapidly increasing costs of repair work, and shortages of people willing to perform such work. Eleven man repair crews are typically used for such repairs, using miscellaneous hand tools, as well as powered devices for separately and independently preparing pavement defects for repair, supplying asphalt patching material, distributing and leveling the patch material over a defect, and rolling, tamping or otherwise compacting the patch material into and over the pavement defect.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,217,620 discloses the most complete pavement patching equipment found in the prior art, and appears to be a large over-the-road vehicle which combines means for preparing pavement defects for repair, receiving, storing, and distributing patch material to a pavement defect, means for compacting patch material by rolling or tamping, and a brush for sweeping the pavement clean. This patent does not appear to disclose any means for screeding the loose patching material over the pavement defect before compacting, and the routing tools provided for defect preparation may present problems as to cleaning loose, defective paving material from a defect after its preparation for repair, and therefore a sizable air compressor is provided for delivering an air blast to a prepared pavement defect to clear it of all loosened debris.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,625,120 also discloses an over-the-road vehicle equiped with hopper means for reception, storage, and dispensation of patching material to a pavement defect. However, this machine has only a hydraulically operated rake for rearranging patch material in and over a pavement defect, and provides no tool for preparing the defect for receipt of the patch material. A roller is also provided for compacting the patching material. This machine would appear to be less useful and versatile than that of U.S. Pat. No. 3,217,620.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,967,913 and 2,907,319 appear to be more concerned with the heating, distribution, and oiling of patch material, the former disposing a tamping tool only and the latter disclosing no tools at all.
All of the devices disclosed in the prior art seem to show a need for a versatile, efficient pavement patching apparatus, but no such apparatus is known to be in general use. The apparatus of the present invention appears to overcome many shortcomings of the prior art by combining the best of defect repair tools, patching mateiral storage hoppers, and patching material delivery, distribution, and compacting means. At the same time the present invention provides an ideal combination of mobility and maneuverability for patching and moving from one defect to the next, while providing for easy transport by towing to individual job sites.